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Cello Repertoire Initiative

A negative space

by Nina Shekhar

Instrumentation
Cello
Composed
2021
Duration
5'
Publisher
Composer (self-published)
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About this piece

A negative space is a five-minute piece for solo cello, commissioned by Matt Haimovitz for The Primavera Project, in which composers responded to Botticelli's Primavera and to Charline von Heyl's 2020 painting of the same name. In her note the composer reads von Heyl's canvas as an inversion of Botticelli's, with the figures reduced to erased shapes on a dark ground, and links this to the erasure of marginalized people from history; the piece reverses figure and ground to make room for the unseen. Haimovitz recorded it on the album Primavera II: The Rabbits (Oxingale, 2022).

Technical overview

No technical overview is available yet.

Level rubric

Professional

Left Hand

  • Complete command of the fingerboard.
  • Proficient thumb position across all strings.
  • Execute complex double stops and rapid trills precisely.
  • Fast scales and leaps with precise intonation and speed.
  • Apply expressive techniques (portamenti, micro‑adjusted intonation) tastefully.
  • Easily execute false harmonics.

Right Hand

  • Seamlessly blends martelé, spiccato, sautillé, legato & ricochet.
  • Meticulous bow distribution for sustained lines or rapid passages.
  • Clear pianissimo to controlled fortissimo.
  • Economical, efficient bow movement with smooth transitions.
  • Employ advanced effects (ponticello, bow effects) artistically.

Musicality

  • Focus on a deeply personal, communicative performance.
  • Make interpretive choices reflecting deep understanding of form, style & emotion.
  • Convey nuanced phrasing, wide dynamic range & a unique artistic voice.
  • Craft dramatic cadenzas/solos with rubato, tone & expressive timing.

Levels are approximate guides, not strict requirements.

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